


I'm Fine

by faierius



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Angst, Comfort, Feels, M/M, Teen Noctis, a little fluff, brotherhood era, teen gladio
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-03
Updated: 2017-08-03
Packaged: 2018-12-10 17:31:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 719
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11696490
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/faierius/pseuds/faierius
Summary: Noctis can only tell himself he's fine so many times.





	I'm Fine

Gladiolus Amicitia couldn’t help the smirk that curled his lips. Before him, in the shade of an enormous tree, napped Prince Noctis Lucis Caelum. Only two and a half hours late for training.

“Hey!” barked Gladio, kicking the sole of Noctis’ shoe. He had to force the smirk from his face as he leaned back and crossed his arms.

Noctis grumbled, his delicate features scrunching up in a frown.

“Wake up, you royal pain in the ass.”

Cracking one deep blue eye open, Noctis squinted up at Gladio. The big guy’s face was obscured by the heavy shadow of his ball cap. “I should sic my Crownsguard on you for being disrespectful.”

Narrowing his eyes, Gladio leaned forward. “I _am_ your Crownsguard.”

“Then you oughta know better,” yawned Noctis, eyes slipping shut again.

“And you oughta know not to shirk your duties, Highness.” Shaking his head, Gladio dropped into a squat at Noctis’ feet. “Where’s Ignis? He was supposed to drop you for training nearly three hours ago.”

“I ditched him,” replied Noctis.

Gladio scrubbed a hand over his face, groaning. “Why?”

Thin black brows scrunched into a frown. “You ask a lot of questions.”

Wrinkling up his nose, Gladio sat down at Noctis’ feet. “And you’re being evasive. What’s going on, Noctis?” He watched the prince’s face carefully as his nostrils twitched, his brow eased before settling in a deeper frown than before, and his lips turned downward. His entire body shifted uncomfortably under Gladio’s stare.

“Can’t I ever just have my own thoughts? You and Ignis don’t always need to know what’s going on in my head.”

“If you don’t want to tell me, that’s your business,” Gladio answered softly. “But since you haven’t told me to go away yet, you either just don’t want to be alone, or you actually want to talk about whatever’s bothering you for once.”

Sitting up, Noctis inhaled a shuddering breath. Opening his eyes, he cast a dark, defiant glower at Gladiolus. “I’m fine.”

Gladio didn’t speak, just raised his eyebrow ever-so-slightly.

Gritting his teeth, Noctis fought against the moisture bubbling up in his eyes. Balling his hands into fists, he unintentionally pulled at the grass beneath him. “I’m fine!”

Still, Gladio didn’t respond. The blue of Noctis’ eyes swam with tears, his brows quivered, and his bottom lip twitched as he struggled to keep his composure.

“I’m fine,” he mumbled for a third time as the tears won, spilling down his cheeks. He brought his hands up, rubbing them over his eyes as gasping sobs wracked his body. He was mostly silent except the sharp inhales of breath that accompanied the sobs, his shoulders shaking as he drew his legs up close to his chest, trying to shrink in on himself.

Gladio let a quiet breath pass through his lips. Glancing around the mostly deserted park, he caught a couple of people staring at the crying boy. He shot dark glances at them before removing his ball cap and dropping in on Noctis’ head. The brim hid his face well, so Gladio took his hands and pulled them away from his eyes.

“No one can see,” he said, holding Noctis’ wet hands.

Noctis doubled over, pulling Gladio’s hands toward him, squeezing them tightly as emotion took over. He cried hard, silent except for his breathing, for nearly fifteen minutes. Gladio waited, patient beyond his years, while the young man let everything out. A loud sniffle and steadying exhale marked the end of Noctis’ tears.

When his hands were released, Gladio reached up under the bill of the cap and wiped his fingers across Noctis’ cheeks. Still, he didn’t say anything. Noctis leaned into the touch, gently gripping Gladio’s wrist. When he looked up, his eyes were red-rimmed and puffy.

Linking his fingers with Noctis’, Gladio moved to sit next to him. The younger man leaned heavily against him, resting his head on Gladio’s shoulder. He seemed smaller, younger than his sixteen years. Gladio’s hat still effectively hid Noctis’ face, but the tips of his ears were red.

“Don’t you dare tell Specs,” Noctis eventually grumbled, his voice hoarse.

Gladio chuckled. “Yeah, I don’t have a death wish.”

“Hey, Gladio?”

The man grunted in response.

“Don’t take so long to find me next time.”

Gladio squeezed Noctis’ hand. “Never again, Highness.”


End file.
